Key occasions
seventh over: New Zealand 21-0 (Latham 14, Young 7) Cummins replaces Starc after simply three overs from the highest finish. Lack of swing maybe? Or a change of ends perhaps? Searing perception? Young performs a free shot at a size ball and fortuitously for him solely connects with the recent Christchurch breeze. Settle down William. A maiden to start out from the Aus captain.
I’ve simply polished off six (miniature, I’m not a monkey, ape animal) walnut whips. Self loathing as a result of peak in about two minutes.
sixth over: New Zealand 21-0 (Latham 14, Young 7) Five dots from Hazlewood, the tall seamer is within the groove. Bop! Latham is on his toes and will get his reward for being watchful, the final ball of the over is a smidge too full and is pushed down the bottom for 4.
fifth over: New Zealand 17-0 (Latham 10, Young 7) A quieter six balls after the particular final over from Hazelwood. That was McGrath esque. Metronomic. Masterful.
4th over: New Zealand 14-0 (Latham 9, Young 5) A single off the within edge to Latham brings Young on strike and he clips Hazlewood for 2 by midwicket. Confident begin this from the house facet. Oooft. Beaten. Hazlewood pitches it on line with the off stump and strikes it away late, a whisper from the sting. And once more! A carbon copy. Not a lot Young can do with that. Three instances! Hazlewood has it on a string, Young simply nods and strolls away to sq. leg. Last ball of the over… beats him once more! Connect Four! What an over from Josh Hazlewood.
third over: New Zealand 11-0 (Latham 8, Young 3) Starc is straight, trying to get one to spear into the pads. Young retains him out and clips for 2 into the leg facet off the final ball of the over.
2nd over: New Zealand 9-0 (Latham 8, Young 1) Josh Hazlewood shares the brand new orb. Will Young is watchful, permitting the ball to cross by and defending off the entrance foot when required. A nudged single off the final ball sees him get off the mark/pinch the strike.
“Evening James”
And to you, South London’s Andrew Cosgrove. Maybe we’re on the identical road?
“Don’t listen to Wignall. He’s right about gibbons, but baboons very definitely are monkeys. I don’t have anything to contribute to the cricket discussion (yet).”
What a few funky gibbon? Billy Gibbons? I’m being a daft apeth.
1st over: New Zealand 8-0 (Latham 8, Young 0) Mitchell Starc begins with the brand new ball. There’s first rate carry and a few good motion within the air too. Tom Latham – face daubed in white zinc – opens the face and runs a size ball extensive of gully for 4. New Zealand are away. Shot! Nothing greater than a defensive push from Latham to an tried yorker from Starc, the ball evades mid off and runs away for 4. Two boundaries off the primary over, loads in it for bat and ball.
Richard Hadlee rings the bell and provides a hearty wave, he seems to be trim and match, nearly like he might do a job with the brand new ball.
Geoff Wignall has put me and my preamble firmly in our place.
“Sorry James, but neither gibbons nor baboons are monkeys. They’re apes.”
I stand corrected… stated the person within the orthpedic sneakers.
The gamers emerge beneath cloudy blue skies for the anthems. Ben Sears seems to be like a pleasant bloke. Well, after all he does.
Batting first at Hagley Oval after a toss win for Pat Cummins. Ben Sears (Cap #287) to make his Test debut and Tim Southee and Kane Williamson grow to be the fifth and sixth New Zealanders to play 100 Tests 🏏 Follow LIVE in NZ from 11:00am with @TVNZ+, DUKE, @SENZ_Radio. #NZvAUS pic.twitter.com/Gvg3BAEWWY
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 7, 2024
“Love these Tests!” enthuses Daniel Kalucy within the OBO mailbag. “Perfect timing for those working the late night euro bar job. Which is obviously why they’re held!”
Absolutely. I’ll have a Guinness Dan, and chuck in a few of Jamie Dornan’s chiselled good lucks for good measure why don’t ya? Oh and a bag of bacon fries. Do you may have them?
So, New Zealand can have the prospect to submit a rating and arrange the sport. They’ll have the small matter of Australia’s gun bowling line up steaming in on a inexperienced high to barter very first thing.
Best coin toss ever! You might have heard a pin drop as all the floor went useless quiet. No exageration – zero noise. Followed by a groan from kiwi supporters. #NZvAUS pic.twitter.com/rddxMAVKun
— Anthony Sherratt (@AnthonySherratt) March 7, 2024
Teams:
Australia unchanged as soon as once more. New Zealand have changed the injured O’Rourke with the debutant seamer Ben Sears.
New Zealand 1 Tom Latham, 2 Will Young, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Scott Kuggeleijn, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Tim Southee (capt), 11 Ben Sears
Australia 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Steven Smith, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Cameron Green, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Australia win the toss and can… bowl
Pat Cummins calls accurately and sticks the Kiwis in.
Ten minutes or so till the toss. More than sufficient time to dig into this piece about Steve Smith’s velcro mitts and the enjoyment of catching. Written by some quill wielding oik known as James Wallace?
Me both.
It is brilliant and clear in Christchurch. The pitch has a inexperienced hue however don’t be fooled an excessive amount of by that, it’s usually a belter for the primary few days at the least. Kiwi bowler Ben Sears seems to be set to make his debut. Poor previous Mitchy Santner.
No actual depth in Mitch Santner’s coaching this morning. Looks like New Zealand are sticking with Scott Kuggeleijn with Ben Sears making his debut #NZvAus pic.twitter.com/OOsOP77FG1
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) March 7, 2024
Preamble
James Wallace
Hello and welcome to the day one OBO of New Zealand v Australia from Christchurch’s Hagley Oval.
“It is nice to get the monkey off the back” stated Ireland’s Test captain Andrew Balbirnie a couple of days in the past after his facet notched up their first victory within the format with a six wicket win over Afghanistan at Abu Dhabi’s Tolerance Oval.
Ireland’s historic victory got here on the eighth time of asking, which is definitely fairly darn fast within the grander scheme of issues. Seven losses although was sufficient for Balbirnie to be summoning the imagery and heavy burden of the primate in his submit match press convention. Which begs the query: if seven losses on the trot is a monkey (or an ape!) – a medium sized gibbon slightly than a burly baboon say – then what precisely is one victory over your neighbouring rivals within the final 30 years?
Last week’s 172 run loss to Trans-Tasman rivals Australia solely added to New Zealand’s woeful document towards their beefier larger brother. Since their 5 wicket win in Auckland means again in 1993, the Kiwis have conquered these in saggy inexperienced on one solitary event – an arse nipping seven wicket win in Hobart in 2011. Forget monkey, New Zealand have a hulking nice albatross full with inexperienced and gold invoice tethered spherical their necks, squawking with glee and defecating down their again*.
The subsequent 5 days will see New Zealand get their final probability of sticking one again to Australia in Test cricket for at the least a few years and what higher solution to do it than within the sport the place former and present captains Kane Williamson and Tim Southee attain their one hundredth Test match?
Australia are weak within the batting division, the highlight notably is on a chronically off form Marnus Labuschagne and a sputtering Alex Carey. The bowling although? Australia’s bowling assault is ridiculous. Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon have been adequate to bail a mis-firing batting card out again and again over the house summer season.
There’s loads to get into then as we tick round to the groups and toss in Christchurch. Play begins at 11am native/9am AEDT and 10pm right here in London. Jim right here on the instruments for the primary half of the day earlier than Angus Fontaine tags in afterward. Please do Email or tweet @Jimbo_Cricket together with your musings and missives. Righto, let’s make the leap, we could?
*Apologies if you’re studying this together with your muesli, it’s submit watershed the place I’m within the UK. Squawk!
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